


The Spy Who "Married" Me

by Yana of the Arcana (sad_goomy)



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Secret Agents, Banter, But also, Domestic Fluff, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fake Marriage, Heart-to-Heart, Humor, Light Angst, Magic, Matter of Life and Death, Multi, Sexual Tension, also some technology just go with it, spy AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-23 12:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15605937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sad_goomy/pseuds/Yana%20of%20the%20Arcana
Summary: It was supposed to be a straightforward, simple mission."Diplomatic mission? Bandits? Your wife?!"But as Yana has come to find out, things are rarely straightforward or simple with Julian Devorak.[HIATUS]





	1. The Best Laid Plans

 

She's never had a mission go so horribly wrong so horribly quickly. 

They find out too late that their handler has been compromised in the field, and so instead of a rendezvous to don servant uniforms at the safehouse, Julian and Yana, two of Arcana's top agents, are immediately captured upon arriving on palace grounds. 

It doesn't help the hostility between them as the two walk in silence with the guards who found them, each trying to come up with their own escape plan. As they walk through the halls, Yana recalls the castle layout that she's had memorized for weeks, and realizes they're going straight to the throne room. When she looks over at Julian, his wide eye lets her know that he's caught on as well and is also at a loss for what to do. 

They aren't supposed to have direct contact with the Count under any circumstances. 

Now they're forced to face him as the guards shove them into the throne room, the two agents stumbling on the plush carpet. 

"And just who do you think you are?" 

Lucio is... _shorter_ than she thought he would be. 

There's undoubtedly something intimidating about him, how he reclines in his throne with a cape lined in fur, as though he's expected in battle at any moment. However, it's the type of intimidation that Yana has come to expect from anyone with money – it feels compensating. Even as she knows her life (and Julian's) is in danger, she can't help but feel thoroughly unimpressed with the haughty man staring down at her like she's a roach he's had the misfortune of stepping on. 

Before she can open her mouth to speak, Julian has taken a grand step forward and put on a smile that would shame a salesman. "Why, Count Lucio, what an honor!" 

"You don't think I know that?" Yana closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, feeling herself growing as irritated as the Count. Still, when she opens her eyes, there's an amusement mixing into his features. She steals a glance at Julian and sees him in a deep bow and realizes that though she's less than pleased with his dramatic-as-ever approach, he's playing directly into Lucio's ego. 

If he can keep it up, it might just save them. 

Yana follows his lead and gives a gracious curtsy, only rising when Lucio snaps, "Now spit out who you are and what you're doing here before I decide your execution date." 

Julian is three steps ahead, posture all confidence and charm as he straightens. "Why, I'm Doctor Devorak of Nevivon, one of the land's finest physicians." He flicks his hair with a flourish, and Yana fights every fiber of her being to keep from rolling her eyes; he's certainly laying it on thick. "I was sent to research the medical practices of other kingdoms as part of a diplomatic mission. I was so looking forward to visiting your court, as we all know what fine doctors Vesuvia brings forth under your guidance, Your Excellency." 

Lucio is faltering, just on the edge of believing the story, but Julian remains steadfast in his roguish smile, and even throws in another bow. "And the get-up?" The Count gestures to their clothing, all black and clearly made for movement (except for Julian's cape that he insisted wouldn't interfere). There's also the fact that for a traveling doctor, they have a severe lack of equipment, with Yana only carrying a single cross-body bag holding their gear and a folder of papers pertaining to their mission. 

"Ah, you see, my research is...top priority for Nevivon, and so I had to travel in disguise and in secret to avoid discovery." It's far-fetched at best, but to see Julian so expertly weaving the story, slowly stepping closer to the Count and gesturing just so with his hands, even Yana finds herself buying into it. "However! It was no use – we were set upon by bandits just outside of the city. They've taken everything from me, Your Excellency, and so I come here begging for your kindness, knowing you are a most gracious and powerful Count." 

Yana feels like she might gag from the cheap praise, but Lucio seems to be lapping it up with a smirk as Julian remains on one knee just below the steps to the throne. Miraculously, Lucio's nearly convinced, and Yana can see in his eyes that one final push of proof will be enough to save them from the hangman's noose (at least for tonight).  

"And do you have your papers from Nevivon about your diplomatic mission? Or your research?" For just a moment, a sinister snarl curls on the Count's lips. "Or have the bandits stolen those as well?" 

"I've kept all our papers and research safe, Your Excellency." 

Julian turns, doing his best to hide his shock as he watches Yana step forward, reaching into her bag and finding the folder of their papers easily. A simple glamour should do the trick just nicely, and she feels her magic rush down her arm and pulse through the papers as she pulls them out, presenting them to Lucio with a deep bow. When she feels him take the folder, she looks up with a subservient smile, explaining, "I would do anything to keep the doctor's work safe, but of course the bandits could not see the value in these papers and weren't interested in anything they could not sell." Her eyes catch Julian's, and she gives a subtle nod. 

If she's had to trust him this far, then he can trust her now. 

His eyes flash with understanding as his gaze goes back to Lucio, who flips through the papers with pursed lips and a raised brow, clearly uninterested and finally,  _mercifully_  convinced of their story. He holds the papers back out with distaste and Yana quickly slides them back into her bag. "What unfortunate luck you have, Doctor Devorak," he purrs, though his eyes bore straight through Yana, and she can feel him searching her very soul for something. 

"The most dreadful." 

"And who is this?" 

Yana feels her stomach drop as she realizes that she hasn't carved a place for herself in Julian's charade, but before she can come up with something Julian is on his feet and has an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She nearly protests out of habit but bites her tongue, instead leaning into the embrace and trying to calculate just what his next move could be. 

"Forgive me, Count Lucio, as I was so scattered from the night's events that I've forgotten myself completely." He looks down at her with such sickly-sweet adoration that Yana feels her stomach drop to the floorboards. "This is my beautiful wife, Yulia." 

 

On second thought, execution doesn't sound so bad. 

 

* * *

 

The guards had shown them to their room, and Julian did a quick sweep for bugs while Yana searched for any magical surveillance. Closing her eyes, she let her magic reach out as far as it could and found nothing that might be listening in or waiting to strike. 

"All clear," Julian reports from the other side of the bedroom, closing the wardrobe. 

Yana opens her eyes. "Good." And she turns on her heel, dropping the bag on the bed as she storms towards the agent and hisses, "Because you have some explaining to do,  _Doc_." 

He scoffs, absolutely nonplussed by her show of anger and instead crossing his arms with a cocked brow. "What a strange way to say 'thank you' after I saved both of our lives back there." 

"Diplomatic mission? Bandits? Your  _wife_?" Yana huffs, throwing her arms in the air to avoid choking the man in front of her. Though she's over a foot shorter than him, her rage is enough to make up for the height as she steps even closer, pointing an accusatory finger. "Are you even taking this seriously, Devorak? If I hadn't put that glamour on the papers we would be hanging in the courtyard right now." 

With a sigh, Julian pinches the bridge of his nose. "We both know Lucio is dramatic. If I didn't add a little flourish he would have killed us out of boredom." 

It's a legitimate point, but there's still something irking her, something that claws at the back of her mind and makes her palms itch with discomfort. She waits for him to open his eyes and look at her once more as she chews her bottom lip. "But why did you go and make me your wife?" 

He softens, something indecipherable flickers in his eyes. Before she can dissect it, he looks to the side, his eyes on the door as he explains, "This way they can't separate us." 

She lets her shoulders drop, realizing that he's actually thought about this, and that of course he's made the right decision. Whether she wants to admit it or not, he's a good agent, and his quick-thinking and charisma did get them out of an encounter with the Count alive and with their mission still secret. 

With a deep breath, she drops onto the edge of the bed, her back hitting the mattress with a soft thud. She can feel the bed shift with his weight as Julian sits next to her, but she keeps her eyes on the intricate mosaic on the ceiling. "Who would have thought I'd have to end up pretending to love you?" she mutters with a bark of humorless laughter. 

"Shouldn't be hard at all." Though she can't see his face she knows exactly how his eyebrows are waggling and his one eye is shining with mischief. 

"Well you don't make it easy." 

Some final tension in him snaps; they've both had a long day, and he's at the end of his rope after creating entire fake lives for both of them. "I know you'd have rather been paired with your golden magician, but he's the one who got compromised in the field." 

Yana frowns at the ceiling. It's no secret that her and Devorak were less than pleased to find out they'd be working with each other, but she was sure with Asra as their agent on the inside that the mission would at least have a chance at success. Instead, she couldn't sense a single trace of him once they stepped onto the castle grounds, and now she's left to chew her cheek in worry and wonder if her mentor's been captured. 

"Careful, Devorak. Bitter ex isn't a good look on anyone, least of all you." 

He rolls his eyes but senses the fear she's emanating. Truthfully, he's concerned, too. If Asra, Arcana's poster child, has been compromised, then there's no telling how much longer they have before they're in a similar position. 

And now part of their safety rests on playing a convincing husband and wife. 

Julian sighs, running a hand through his hair as he mutters, "He'll be fine, you know. We need to focus on keeping ourselves alive if we're going to find him." 

Yana doesn't respond, just lets out a sigh. "You should go report to Muriel about the situation." 

"Why me?" 

"Because it was  _your_  stupid cape that got us caught." 

He opens his mouth to argue but finds he doesn't have anything to back himself up. Snapping his mouth shut, he settles on muttering curses under his breath, standing and digging through the bag until he pulls out the handheld communication device. "If he didn't hate us before -" 

"Oh, he absolutely hated us before -" 

"Well he's going to personally call Lucio to tell him to go ahead and hang us after this." 

Yana lets out a soft chuckle, and she misses the lopsided smile that Julian gives her before he turns, heading towards the bathroom. "Do that soundproof spell, will you?" 

She rolls her eyes and waits for the bathroom door to shut before closing her eyes and focusing her power. With a deep breath, she coats the bedroom and bathroom in a deep purple aura, keeping the shield rippling with protective energy in her mind as she hears Julian start the call with a far too jovial greeting. 

"Ah, Muriel, have I got a story to tell you...no I'm not in the servant's quarters...w-well the thing is -" 

And as Yana listens to the one-sided tongue-lashing that he endures, she decides that maybe Julian isn't so bad as a partner after all. 

 

As a husband, however, she has no doubt in her mind that he's only going to get more insufferable. 

 

 


	2. The Wedding Night

 

"Is this a magic thing?"

Yana takes a deep breath, Julian's question breaking her concentration and disturbing her search, bringing her back to the royal bedroom. She looks over from her chair, locking eyes with him as he leans against the doorway of the bathroom, dressed in one of the pajama sets delivered by a pair of servants just moments ago.

There's a frown on his face that Yana returns with a smirk. "Yes, it's a 'magic thing.' Does that bother you?"

"Depends what it is."

She's well aware of his aversion to magic. It's clear from the way he stiffens whenever it's mentioned, or how he fidgets whenever she has to use it around him.  There's never been a chance for her to ask why it agitates him (and she's never really wanted to, either). Now, though, there's something else playing across his features, and she realizes that for all his discomfort, there's an underlying fascination. "I'm searching the surrounding energies and auras for traces of Asra," she explains, feeling not unlike she's under a microscope with the way he looks at her, "The only signs of him I can find are around the rendezvous point, but it's cold. He was here a while ago, but it's like he's just...vanished, without a trace."

Julian nods, averting his eyes to the floor as he processes the information. Yana rests her chin on one hand, the other drumming an erratic rhythm on the arm of the chair. She doesn't like this stillness, can't handle this gilded cage they've forced themselves into, and she stands. "I'm going to search the perimeter."

Five steps and she's nearly at the door to the balcony but Julian intercepts her, placing a firm hand on the door handle. She opens her mouth to argue with narrowed eyes, but he tells her, "I told you, Muriel is sending a team. We're under strict orders to not raise suspicion and leave it to them."

Her fists clench, nails digging into the flesh of her palm until it's painful, bringing her back to the situation at hand. She lets out a deep breath, leveling her partner with one last glare before turning and plopping herself back into the armchair like a petulant child. It's enough to make Julian snicker under his breath, leaning against the door with crossed arms. His face softens a moment later when her irritation is replaced once more with concern. He watches her place her chin back on her hand, eyes to the side as she chews her bottom lip. "You should get some rest. You're going to need it if we're going to have to play husband and wife in front of the Count tomorrow."

She looks at him from the corner of her eye. "You should, too."

He smirks, starting his walk to the bed and brushing past her, muttering, "You should know I don't sleep much, darling."

"As if I couldn't tell from the dark circles." He scowls but says nothing, instead settling on top of the covers and resting his head on the pillow. Yana's eyes roam the room, stopping at the folded nightgown that awaits her on the ottoman. She frowns at it and glances at the door, wondering if she could just escape right now; Julian's far taller than her but she'd have the element of surprise, or she could use a spell to slow him, and -

And she knows she's being foolish, now. She's letting her fondness for Asra cloud her judgment, and it deepens her frown as she sighs. Originally, she was assigned to Asra for this recon mission, but as she'd come to find out, her mentor had arranged for Julian to take his place instead. When she confronted him about it, there was something painful but knowing in his eyes as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's better for our focus," he had told her, before being rushed off on his own mission.

It makes her feel like a child, but now Yana sees his point. She's a good agent and she knows it, but she's always had a weakness with him. Her insistent worrying now only proves the point.

"You look like you're about to have an aneurysm." Julian chuckles at the glare she throws his way, his hands behind his head. Realizing that she'll stay up all night without his prompting, he teases, "You know,  _I_  could always put on the nightgown instead, and I'm sure I'd look ravishing, but I was so looking forward to seeing it on you."

"You're incorrigible."

"And you need to sleep."

"So do you." She hasn't spent much time around the agent – the two tended to avoid each other out of mutual respect for their mutual animosity – but now that she observes him, she can see the pallor of his skin and the extent of the dark circles. It doesn't strike her as fitting of him, of the persona he displays; he's meant for theatrics and flirting, not melancholic nights of insomnia. Standing, she goes to the ottoman and picks up the nightgown, turning to look at him once more before she goes to the bathroom to change. "You're spending an awful lot of time worrying about my health, but who looks after yours?"

The question reverberates in his chest, leaving him to widen his eyes as she closes the bathroom door. A strange warmth blossoms on his cheeks, and he curses his pale skin under his breath. He's not entirely sure why her words are having such an effect on him, but with a few deep breaths his heartbeat is back to normal and the bathroom door is opening once more.

"This is ridiculous."

The blush returns despite all his hard work at the sight of how much of her tan skin is left exposed by the golden silk slip.

Yana only keeps frowning, seemingly oblivious to his appreciative gaze (and how he fights to stop staring). "I'm sleeping, not attending the opera. Why do royalty always need everything to be so..."

"Luxurious?" Julian supplies, though his eyes are firmly on the ceiling mosaic and his voice isn't as strong as he'd hoped it'd be.

She shakes her head, walking to the unoccupied side of the bed and stopping to blow out the candles along the way. "Ostentatious. Indulgent. Garish." She punctuates each insult with another puff of air to extinguish a candle, the final being the one on her nightstand. Julian follows suit and extinguishes the flame of the lamp on the nightstand next to him, leaving them in relative darkness besides the moonlight that washes the room in a cold glow.

"You're not a fan of conspicuous consumption?" A chuckle is her response, and it lets him smile and relax once more, and her body is under the covers as she faces the wall. He looks at her back and can just make out the various swirls and shapes that her hair creates as it falls on the pillow. "Are you actually going to sleep now?"

"Are  _you_?"

Her body shifts to face him with a smirk, expecting to see another of his trademark grins. Instead, the smile he gives her is tired and soft, and it makes her brows furrow and her heart stammer against her will. "Eventually." He sighs, looking back up to the ceiling as he assures her, "I'll pass out in a few hours, maybe."

 Part of her is tempted to leave him to his self-fulfilling prophecy of martyrdom. However, they're partners, and in this together no matter their previous bad blood; now is as good a time as any to start really working together.

 "I could help."

The previous vulnerability is swept under the rug as he looks at her with wide eyes and a lewd smile. "Well, Yana, I didn't think you would want to consummate our fake marriage so soon."

She rolls her eyes, trying to swallow back her laughter as she sits up, the covers falling and leaving her body exposed to the night air as she places a palm on his chest, feeling the sliver of cool skin that the nightshirt's neckline left exposed. Immediately, his bravado drops, watching her with wide eyes as he stammers, "T-taking charge, I see? I supposed I did peg you as more of a dominant personality - "

A finger to his lips silences him, Yana quirking a brow at his flustered state. "You talk too much," she whispers with a lopsided smile, before focusing back on the hand on his chest. She lets a cool rush of calm go through her, watching waves of lilac energy light the air between them and move from her palm to his body, spreading over him like a soft breeze in a lavender field. She can see his muscles relax, and he seems to melt into the mattress, his eyes watching her but with eyelids drooping.

"What are you doing?" he manages to mumble just before a yawn cuts him off.

"Tranquility spell," she explains, sliding her body under the covers once more. Her own body is exhausted, and this last bout of magic has left her more than ready to knock out for several hours. She gives him a smirk that's too tired to truly be malicious. "Otherwise known as magic tranquilizer."

He smiles, eyes closing for longer periods of time despite how much he tries to fight it. "Well, thank you."

Something flutters in her chest – something Yana immediately crushes. "If we're going to keep up our cover and still complete our mission, then I need a partner who can actually function." She turns away, feeling that horrible fluttering threatening to overtake her body once more if she keeps looking at him like this. It's worrying to say the least. Before she lets herself slip off, she looks over her shoulder and snaps, "Now get some sleep so you don't screw anything up tomorrow and I won't have to choke you in front of the count."

She can't see the suspicious blush creeping on his face and he mutters something she can't hear, so she turns back around and settles further into the covers, the mattress gently holding her as she drifts into unconsciousness.

Even with her magic, it takes Julian a few more minutes to get the last words she said sufficiently out of his mind to allow him to close his eyes and sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yana's magic tends to manifest as light, which is super soothing to watch when you're trying to sleep but not super ideal if you're trying to be subtle.


End file.
